Ex-NHL Perrot debuts tomorrow

By Alexey Sukachev

The legendary “Blue Horizon” fight arena in Philadelphia will be entitled to a specific boxing debut this Friday night, when former ice hockey player Nathan Perrot from Owen Sound, Ontario, faces Makidi Ku Ntima (1-0, 1 KO) in a scheduled heavyweight four-rounder. One can wonder why this reporter, basically located in Russia, pays so much intention to a casual match-up overseas. The reason is that it was a new Russian boxing centre in Chekhov, Moscow Region, which played a decisive role in turning Perrot back into his once-beloved fistic hobby.

Nathan Perrot, 33 and standing relatively short for a heavyweight at 6’0’’, signed a two-year deal with Vityaz Chekhov, the KHL outsider, in 2007. He spent almost two years in Russia, taking part in 24 matches, earning a single assist in addition to 235 penalty minutes. It was also where he decided to revive his boxing career on a new level. Perrot trained much in local gym alongside top heavyweight contender Alexander Povetkin, which also has contributed to his decision.

Nathan Perrot had four amateur fights, winning three of them. As an NHL tough guy he took part in 89 matches for Toronto Maple Leafs, Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators, scoring 4 times and making 5 assists while earning 251 PIM since 2001. He was also #44 overall pick for New Jersey Devils in 2005 NHL Entry Draft.